ELSIE-JEWELL COMMUNITY PLAN 2040
INTRODUCTION

The approximately 178,600-acre Elsie-Jewell planning area is characterized by extensive areas in forest lands with some limited agricultural lands along the Nehalem River Valley. Residential development has occurred in various small pockets along the Nehalem River with some commercial activity in Jewell and along U.S. Highway 26 near Elsie and Elderberry. The timber within this planning area has historically provided the economic base for employment. The Clatsop County Comprehensive Plan has two parts: a Countywide Plan and six Community Plans. The Countywide Plan deals with state goals and programs of Countywide concerns such as the economy. Each Community Plan is an amplification of many of the County-wide policies which address specific concerns of the area. The Community Plans also addressed items not covered in the Countywide Plan because of an item's uniqueness to this particular area.

The original Elsie-Jewell Community Plan was adopted on July 23, 1980 (Ordinance 80-07). This plan, along with the community plan for each of the other five planning areas in Clatsop County is broken down into landscape units. Goals, objectives, policies and/or recommendations are provided for each of the landscape units. Additional sections in each community plan also include specific policies for the planning area related to the 18 statewide planning goals. Since originally adopted, the Elsie-Jewell Community Plan has been amended several times: Elsie-Jewell Community Plan • Ordinance 83-17: Amendments to address comments from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) • Ordinance 84-09: Amendments to address comments from DLCD • Ordinance 84-10: Amendments to address comments from DLCD • Ordinance 03-08: Amendments related to revised policies in Goal 7 and Goal 18

Taken together, the Plans provide a guide for development - whether it be residential, commercial, industrial or recreational. The intent of the Plan is NOT to stop or limit "rural" growth but rather to direct growth into appropriate locations while preserving the quality of life in the area. In looking at appropriate locations for various types of development, consideration was given to the preservation of resource lands (agricultural or forest lands), level of public facilities and services available, the land's carrying capacity, and the different needs for various uses within the planning area.

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